PC still dominant device for online TV

The PC is still the dominant platform for online TV consumption, despite the proliferation of connected TVs and other devices, according to David Mercer, vice-president and principal analyst at Strategy Analytics.

Mercer, delivering the opening presentation at the Connected TV Summit in London this morning, said that according to a Strategy Analytics survey, 22% of respondents across the US and Europe had used the PC to watch TV and video, while 7% had connected their PC to the TV to watch content on the larger screen. Some 8% had watched video on a portable device such as smartphone and 7% had used some sort of dedicated connected TV device.

Asked what their choice would be if only allowed to retain a single device, some 45% of respondents said they would keep their computer, compared with 38% who would choose a large-screen TV, 15% who would choose a mobile phone and 1% who would retain their iPad.

According to Mercer, while 40% of under 25s had consumed TV content on their computers, this age group was also the most likely to buy DVDs and Blu-ray discs and to consume content generally. However, revenue from over-the-top services was currently largely divided between content owners and aggregators, with access network providers squeezed out of the market, he said.

Mercer said that Strategy Analytics estimated that there were over 400 million connected TV devices in use by the end of last year, with games consoles leading the way. The company estimated that some 1.6 billion connected TV devices will be installed worldwide by 2014.